Phillips tells Government to bring it on
Published:Monday | June 13, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
Declaring that there is much more to be said on the Manatt-Dudus affair, former National Security Minister Dr Peter Phillips has challenged the Government to bring on its censure motion against him.
All obstacles are to be cleared this week to facilitate what is expected to be a riveting debate on the censure motion that opposition members have claimed is long overdue.
"Bring on anything because mouth mek fe chat and many things need to be said," Phillips told People's National Party (PNP) supporters in North East St Elizabeth late Saturday.
With vocal supporters cheering him on, Phillips came out firing as he declared he was ready to face the assault of the government side.
"Questions must be asked and answered about the fugitive (Coke) and his relationship," asserted Phillips. "The Government must be forced to state what really happened in Tivoli Gardens ... so there are many things still left to be dealt with."
At the same time, Phillips scoffed at the Government, urging it to deal with its relational and diplomatic issues with the United States.
"What a shame on Jamaica. It's the first time in the history of this country and any administration that the visa of a senior minister has been revoked," declared Phillips.
But what makes it worse is that they go further to state that they are not prepared to extend diplomatic services with that person," he added.
Manatt-Dudus enquiry report
This week's report of the Manatt-Dudus commission of enquiry paves the way for debate on the censure motion against Phillips for entering into secret negotiations and arrangements with foreign governments, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
The motion was moved by the member of parliament for North East St Catherine, Gregory Mair.
Chairman of the Standing Orders Committee, Delroy Chuck, the speaker of the House, told a parliamentary committee last month that the chairman of the commission, Emil George, had formally requested that debate on the motion be put on hold until they completed their final report.
That report has been turned over to the Government and is to be submitted to Cabinet today and tabled tomorrow in Parliament.
Phillips appeared before the commission and was grilled for more than four days about his perceived failure to inform former Prime Ministers P.J. Patterson and Portia Simpson or Cabinet members about two top-secret memoranda on understanding (MOU) to build wiretapping facilities and share intercepted data with other countries.
However, Phillips maintained that the sensitive nature of the arrangements prevented him from revealing the MOUs.
Although the Bruce Golding administration was highly critical of Phillips' action, the MOUs are still operational.